Repair of extremity soft tissue defects using anterolateral femoral flaps with versus without anastomosis of anterolateral femoral cutaneous nerve / 中华创伤骨科杂志

Objective:To analyze the necessity of anastomosis of the cutaneous nerve by comparing anterolateral femoral flaps with versus without anastomosis of the anterolateral femoral cutaneous nerve in the repair of extremity soft tissue defects.Methods:A retrospective analysis was made of the clinical data of 30 patients with extremity soft tissue defects who had been admitted to Department of Orthopedics, The Sixth People＇s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from September 2019 to March 2022. The patients were assigned into 2 groups according to whether the anterolateral femoral cutaneous nerve was anastomosed or not in the repair of extremity soft tissue defects using anterolateral femoral flaps. In the anastomosis groups of 14 cases, there were 7 males and 7 females, with an age of (46.4±15.2) years and a flap size of (22.4±7.3) cm×(8.5±1.3) cm. In the non-anastomosis group of 16 cases, there were 11 males and 5 females, with an age of (39.9±15.8) years and a flap size of (23.0±6.4) cm×(9.0±2.1) cm. The 2 groups were compared in terms of flap survival, Semmes-Weinstein recovery degree and area of monofilament tactile sensation, and time periods for temperature sensation and two-point discrimination.Results:There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in the preoperative general data, showing they were comparable ( P>0.05). All the flaps survived completely without vascular crisis. In the anastomosis group, the time periods required for Semmes-Weinstein recovery of monofilament tactile sensation to the areas of 20.0%, 50.0%, and 80.0% [(2.5±0.7) months, (6.7±1.1) months, and (11.0±1.2) months] were significantly shorter than those in the non-anastomosis group [(3.6±1.3) months, (8.6±1.4) months, and (15.0±2.2) months], the recovery area at the last follow-up [100.0% (100.0%, 100.0%)] was significantly larger than that in the non-anastomosis group [84.6% (81.7%, 89.9%)], and the time period for recovery of temperature sensation [(3.9±0.7) months] significantly shorter than that in the non-anastomosis group [(6.1±1.1) months] (all P<0.05). The time for recovery of two-point discrimination in the 14 patients in the anastomosis group was (10.4±1.7) months while only 7 of the 16 patients in the non-anastomosis group recovered two-point discrimination after (14.7±1.4) months, showing a significant difference between the 2 groups ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In the repair of extremity soft tissue defects using anterolateral femoral flaps, compared with no anastomosis of the cutaneous nerve, anastomosis of the anterolateral femoral cutaneous nerve may ensure more or less the sensory recovery of the flaps.

Epidemiological characteristics of infected patients aged 60 years and older during the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Sanya, Hainan in 2022 / 中国热带医学

@# or older during the outbreak epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant in Sanya City, Hainan Province, August-September 2022, and to provide scientific and effective basis for formulating strategies for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in the elderly in the future. Methods　The data of 1 785 COVID-19 cases aged ≥60 years reported from August 1 to September 8, 2022 in Sanya City, and 537 local COVID-19 inpatients aged ≥60 years treated in Sanya Central Hospital were collected and analyzed using WPS Office 2018 software for data cleaning, database assistance, and drawing, and SPSS 22.0 software was used to statistically describe and analyze the counting data. Results　A total of 1 785 local COVID-19 cases aged ≥60 years were reported in China's Disease Prevention and Control Information System, including 1 509 confirmed cases (84.54%) and 276 asymptomatic cases (15.46%). Of the confirmed cases, 1 448 were mild cases (95.96%), 40 were common cases (2.65%), 10 were severe cases (0.66%), and 11 were critical cases (0.73%), and no deaths were reported. The ratio of male to female was 0.88∶1. The youngest was 60 years old, the oldest age was 107 years old, with a median age of 67 years old. Most of them (1 559 cases, 87.34%) were non-social employed personnel. Among them, 952 (53.33%) were from Tianya District and 733 (41.06%) from Jiyang District. Among the 537 COVID-19 elderly infected patients hospitalized in Sanya Central Hospital, infected patients with underlying diseases accounted for 287 (53.45%) cases of hypertension, diabetes and other types of basic diseases (chronic kidney disease, hyperlipidemia, chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, etc.), and there were serious infections. Conclusions　Most of the elderly infected with Omicron variants were mild cases with few symptoms, but the elderly infected with Omicron variants were difficult to recover or even worsen the condition due to old age and underlying diseases. Therefore, by analyzing the various aspects of elderly infected cases, scientific and effective basis can be provided to prevent and control the epidemic situation in the future, and reduce the occurrence of severe, critical and death cases of COVID-19 in the elderly.

Umbelliferone Ameliorates Hepatic Steatosis and Lipid-Induced ER Stress in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Purpose@#Among the characteristics of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), hepatic steatosis is due to excessive fat accumulation and causes liver damage and lipotoxicity, which are associated with insulin resistance, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and apoptosis. Umbelliferone (UMB) has various powerful pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the mechanism of action in hepatic steatosis and lipid-induced ER stress is still unclear. Thus, the efficacy of UMB in hepatic steatosis and palmitate (PA)-induced hepatocellular lipotoxicity was evaluated in the present study. @*Materials and Methods@#Male C57BL/6J mice (n=40) were divided into four groups: regular diet (RD), UMB-supplemented RD, high-fat diet (HFD), and UMB-supplemented HFD. All mice were fed orally for 12 weeks. In addition, the effects of UMB on lipotoxicity were investigated in AML12 cells treated with PA (250 μM) for 24 h; Western blot analysis was used to evaluate the changes in ER stress and apoptotic-associated proteins. @*Results@#Administration with UMB in HFD-fed mice reduced lipid accumulation and hepatic triglyceride (TG) as well as serum insulin and glucose levels. In AML12 cells, UMB treatment reduced lipid accumulation as indicated by decreases in the levels of lipogenesis markers, such as SREBP1, FAS, PPAR-γ, and ADRP. Furthermore, UMB reduced both oxidative stress and ER stress-related cellular apoptosis. @*Conclusion@#UMB supplementation ameliorated hepatic steatosis and improved insulin resistance by inhibiting lipid accumulation and regulating ER stress. These findings strongly suggest that UMB may be a potential therapeutic compound against NAFLD.

Changing the strategic paradigm for the treatment of adult acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a representative blood cancer, accounting for most adult leukemia cases in Korea. Until recently, intensive chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were the only curative treatment options for AML. However, the recent introduction of new drugs is bringing about changes in the strategic paradigm for the treatment of AML.Current Concepts: Along with the clinical eligibility for receiving intensive treatment and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the most critical determinants in treating AML are precise classification and risk stratification based on cytogenetic and molecular information. The recently revised World Health Organization classification, newly proposed International Consensus Classification, and the latest version of the European LeukemiaNet risk stratification reflect the importance of cytogenetic and molecular information. Although there have been no significant changes for a long time in the landscape of AML, especially in the field of treatment, the treatment paradigm has started to evolve with the introduction of new drugs. This evolution is led by FLT3 inhibitors, Bcl-2 inhibitors, isocitrate dehydrogenase inhibitors, target agents against CD33 antigens, and liposomal formulations of chemotherapeutics.Discussion and Conclusion: Successful initial treatment to induce complete remission followed by post-remission treatment to remove residual disease can lead to the achievement of long-term survival and cure goals in AML. We hope that new drugs will markedly improve the treatment outcomes for patients with AML.

Expert consensus on late stage of critical care management / 中华内科杂志

We wished to establish an expert consensus on late stage of critical care (CC) management. The panel comprised 13 experts in CC medicine. Each statement was assessed based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) principle. Then, the Delphi method was adopted by 17 experts to reassess the following 28 statements. (1) ESCAPE has evolved from a strategy of delirium management to a strategy of late stage of CC management. (2) The new version of ESCAPE is a strategy for optimizing treatment and comprehensive care of critically ill patients (CIPs) after the rescue period, including early mobilization, early rehabilitation, nutritional support, sleep management, mental assessment, cognitive-function training, emotional support, and optimizing sedation and analgesia. (3) Disease assessment to determine the starting point of early mobilization, early rehabilitation, and early enteral nutrition. (4) Early mobilization has synergistic effects upon the recovery of organ function. (5) Early functional exercise and rehabilitation are important means to promote CIP recovery, and gives them a sense of future prospects. (6) Timely start of enteral nutrition is conducive to early mobilization and early rehabilitation. (7) The spontaneous breathing test should be started as soon as possible, and a weaning plan should be selected step-by-step. (8) The waking process of CIPs should be realized in a planned and purposeful way. (9) Establishment of a sleep-wake rhythm is the key to sleep management in post-CC management. (10) The spontaneous awakening trial, spontaneous breathing trial, and sleep management should be carried out together. (11) The depth of sedation should be adjusted dynamically in the late stage of CC period. (12) Standardized sedation assessment is the premise of rational sedation. (13) Appropriate sedative drugs should be selected according to the objectives of sedation and drug characteristics. (14) A goal-directed minimization strategy for sedation should be implemented. (15) The principle of analgesia must be mastered first. (16) Subjective assessment is preferred for analgesia assessment. (17) Opioid-based analgesic strategies should be selected step-by-step according to the characteristics of different drugs. (18) There must be rational use of non-opioid analgesics and non-drug-based analgesic measures. (19) Pay attention to evaluation of the psychological status of CIPs. (20) Cognitive function in CIPs cannot be ignored. (21) Delirium management should be based on non-drug-based measures and rational use of drugs. (22) Reset treatment can be considered for severe delirium. (23) Psychological assessment should be conducted as early as possible to screen-out high-risk groups with post-traumatic stress disorder. (24) Emotional support, flexible visiting, and environment management are important components of humanistic management in the intensive care unit (ICU). (25) Emotional support from medical teams and families should be promoted through"ICU diaries"and other forms. (26) Environmental management should be carried out by enriching environmental content, limiting environmental interference, and optimizing the environmental atmosphere. (27) Reasonable promotion of flexible visitation should be done on the basis of prevention of nosocomial infection. (28) ESCAPE is an excellent project for late stage of CC management.

Effects of heat exposure and vitamin C intervention on oxidative stress and blood pressure changes in treadmill rats / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective: To investigate the effect of oxidative stress caused by heat exposure on the blood pressure increase of treadmill rats and the intervention of antioxidants. Methods: In June 2021, Twenty-four healthy SD male rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal temperature feeding, normal temperature treadmill, high temperature treadmill and high temperature treadmill supplementation with vitamin C groups, 6 rats in each group. The rats run on the platform in normal temperature or heat exposure environment for 30 min in the morning and in the afternoon daily, 6 days per week. The daily vitamin C supplement dose of high temperature treadmill supplementation with vitamin C group was 10 mg/kg. BP recordings were done at the end of the week. The rat vascular lipofuscin (LF) was detected by ELISA, the rat serum nitric oxide (NO) was detected by nitrate reductase method, the serum malondialdehyde (MDA) was detected by thibabituric acid method, the serum glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were detected by chemiluminescence method, and the serum catalase (CAT) was detected by ammonium molybdate method. The total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) of serum was measured by iron reduction/antioxidant capacity method, and the content of nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in vascular tissue was measured by Western blot. The intra-group mean was compared by repeated measurement analysis of variance, and the inter-group mean was compared by single-factor analysis of variance and post-event LSD-t test. Results: Compared with the previous time point, the systolic BP and diastolic BP of the high temperature treadmill group were significantly increased at 7, 14 and 21 d, and decreased at 28 d which were higher than the initial level (P<0.05), and the systolic BP and diastolic BP values at each experimental time point were significantly higher than those of normal temperature treadmill group (P<0.001). The changes of thickening of the artery wall, no smoothing of the endodermis and irregular arrangement of muscle cells in high temperature treadmill group were observed. Compared with the normal temperature treadmill group, the content of MDA in serum, and LF in vascular tissue were significantly increased, the activities of SOD, CAT, T-AOC, the content of NO in serum, and the expression of Nrf2 in vascular tissue were significantly decreased in high temperature treadmill group (P<0.05). Compared with the high temperature treadmill group, the systolic BP and diastolic BP values at 7, 14, 21 and 28 d, the content of serum MDA and LF in vascular tissue were significantly decreased, the activities of CAT and T-AOC, and the expression of Nrf2 in vascular tissue significantly increased (P<0.05), the histopathological changes of the artery wall improved in high temperature treadmill supplementation with vitamin C group. Conclusion: Heat exposure has effect on oxidative stress, which may be related to the increase of BP. Vitamin C as an anti-oxidative enhancer can prevent those negative effects, which could alleviate the pathological changes of vessel intima in heat-exposed rats. And the Nrf2 may be a regulated factor to vascular protection.

A Nationwide Population-Based Study on the Association between Rosacea and Psychiatric Disorders: New Findings of Behavioral Disorders / 대한피부과학회지

Background@#Rosacea is a chronic skin inflammatory disorder that almost always occurs on the face, which can cause emotional stress and affect self-esteem. Rosacea is associated with psychiatric disorders, but there have been few studies on the relationship between rosacea and psychiatric disorders in Koreans. @*Objective@#We aimed to investigate the risk of psychiatric disorders in Korean patients with rosacea. @*Methods@#Data were obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. The database was collected according to the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases version 6, which is based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision. This study was conducted with 595 patients diagnosed with rosacea from 2002 to 2013. A total of 2,380 controls were set by performing 1:4 matching for sex, age, and index year. @*Results@#The incidence of psychiatric disorders was higher in patients with rosacea (114/595, 19.16%) than in patients without rosacea (319/2,380, 13.40%), with a significant difference (p＜0.001). Among several types of psychiatric disorders, the prevalence of anxiety disorder and behavioral disorder was significantly higher in the rosacea patients than in patients without rosacea (p=0.008 and p=0.044, respectively). The adjusted hazard ratio for psychiatric disorders in patients with rosacea was 1.543 (95% confidence interval=1.238∼1.922, p＜0.001). @*Conclusion@#Rosacea is associated with many types of psychiatric disorders. Awareness of the psychological impact of rosacea might be helpful in improving patient quality of life.

Effect of Oxcarbazepine on Language Function in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Pediatric Epilepsy

Background@#and Purpose This study aimed to determine the effects of oxcarbazepine (OXC) on the language function of patients with pediatric epilepsy. @*Methods@#We assessed the language abilities of patients aged 5–17 years with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy and the same number of age-matched healthy children using the Test of Problem Solving (TOPS) and the Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test–Receptive (REVT-R). The Mean Length of Utterance–words (MLU-w) was used to estimate linguistic productivity before and after OXC initiation. All patients received OXC monotherapy with a starting dosage of 10 mg/kg/day for 1 week, which in some cases was increased to 30 mg/kg/ day (or 1,200 mg/day). @*Results@#The study finally included 41 pediatric patients (22 males and 19 females; age 9.9±3.0 years, mean±standard deviation). All language parameters of the TOPS improved significantly after initiating OXC (determining cause, 12.5±4.8–13.7±4.1 [p=0.016]; making inference, 15.6±5.6–17.4±6.4 [p<0.001]; and predicting, 9.8±5.0–11.6±4.5 [p=0.001]). However, patients who received OXC did not exhibit a significantly extended MLU-w (determining cause, p=0.493; making inference, p=0.386; and predicting, p=0.341). Receptive language scores also significantly increased after taking OXC (REVT-R: 121.0±43.1–129.4±43.8, p=0.002), but the percentage of development age to chronological age did not vary (REVT-developmental quotient: p=0.075). @*Conclusions@#Our results suggest that OXC is safe and preserves language function in patients with pediatric epilepsy.

Postoperative major bleeding risk in patients using oral antiplatelets and/or anticoagulants after laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery

Purpose@#The use of antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant therapies has become common. In rare cases, these therapies may increase the risk of dangerous postoperative bleeding. We investigated the association of antiplatelets and/or anticoagulants with postoperative major bleeding risk in laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery. @*Methods@#We retrospectively enrolled 3,663 gastric cancer patients (antiplatelet/anticoagulant group, 518; control group, 3,145) who had undergone laparoscopic surgery between January 2012 and December 2017. To minimize selection bias, 508 patients in each group were matched using propensity score matching (PSM) method. The primary outcome was postoperative major bleeding. Secondary outcomes were intraoperative, postoperative transfusion and early complications. @*Results@#After PSM, postoperative major bleeding occurred in 10 (2.0%) and 3 cases (0.6%) in the antiplatelets/ anticoagulants and control groups, respectively (P = 0.090). Intraoperative and postoperative transfusions were not significantly different between 2 groups (2.4% vs. 1.4%, P = 0.355 and 5.5% vs. 4.3%, P = 0.469). Early complications developed in 58 (11.4%) and 43 patients (8.5%) in the antiplatelets/anticoagulants and control groups, respectively (P = 0.142). The mean amounts of intraoperative and postoperative transfusions were not significantly different between the groups (366.67 ± 238.68 mL vs. 371.43 ± 138.01 mL, P = 0.962; 728.57 ± 642.25 mL vs. 508.09 ± 468.95 mL, P = 0.185). In multivariable analysis, male (P = 0.008) and advanced stage (III, IV) (P = 0.024) were independent significant risk factors for postoperative major bleeding. @*Conclusion@#Preoperative antiplatelets and/or anticoagulants administration did not significantly increase the risk of postoperative major bleeding after laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery.

Self-Appraisal of Clinical Competence in Echocardiography of Chinese Intensivists Post Basic Echocardiography Training / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Objectives To learn the echocardiography skills of intensivists after receiving a basic critical care echocardiography training course, and investigate factors that may influence their performance. Methods We completed a web-based questionnaire that assessed the skills in ultrasound scanning techniques of intensivists who took a training course on basic critical care echocardiography held in 2019 and 2020. Mann-Whitney test was used to analyze the factors which might affect their performance on image acquisition, recognizing clinical syndrome, and measuring the diameter of inferior vena cava, left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular outflow tract velocity-time integral.Results We enrolled 554 physicians from 412 intensive care units across China. Among them, 185 (33.4%) reported that they had 10%-30% chance of being misled by critical care echocardiography when making therapeutic decision, and 34 (6.1%) reported that the chance was greater than 30%. Intensivists who performed echocardiography under the guidance of a mentor and finished ultrasound scanning more than 10 times per week reported significant higher scores in image acquisition, clinical syndrome recognition, and quantitative measurement of inferior vena cava diameter, left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular outflow tract velocity-time integral than those without mentor and performing echocardiography 10 times or less per week respectively (all P < 0.05).Conclusion The skills in diagnostic medical echocardiography of Chinese intensivists after a basic echocardiographic training course remain low, and further quality assurance training program is clearly warranted.

Recent research on neurodevelopmental disorders in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in children are a group of chronic developmental brain disorders caused by multiple genetic or acquired causes, including disorders of intellectual development, developmental speech or language disorders, autism spectrum disorders, developmental learning disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, tic disorders, and other neurodevelopmental disorders. With the improvement in the research level and the diagnosis and treatment techniques of NDDs, great progress has been made in the research on NDDs in children. This article reviews the research advances in NDDs, in order to further improve the breadth and depth of the understanding of NDDs in children among pediatricians.

Oropharyngeal Dysphagia Detected on VFSS in a Patient with Pancoast Tumor: A Case Report / 대한연하장애학회지

A Pancoast tumor is a rare form of lung cancer that occurs mainly in the apex of the lung as the main symptom of upper extremity pain. Oropharyngeal dysphagia is not a common symptom. This case report describes a 57-year-old male patient with a Pancoast tumor who presented with oropharyngeal dysphagia. The patient's symptoms included left shoulder and arm pain. The chest computed tomography revealed a mass in the apex of the left lung, invading the mediastinum and compressing the left brachial vein and brachial plexus. He was discharged after receiving palliative chemotherapy. The patient returned to the hospital with dyspnea and was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia. The cranial nerve exam confirmed hoarseness and an absent gag reflex. In addition, the laryngeal elevation decreased, and the bedside water test was positive. A video fluoroscopic swallow study confirmed the presence of oropharyngeal dysphagia, which was attributed to left glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve damage associated with the Pancoast tumor. This case highlights the need to be aware that a Pancoast tumor can cause oropharyngeal dysphagia. If oropharyngeal dysphagia is suspected, VFSS should be performed to prevent complications leading to mortality from lung cancer.

Relevance of dental hygiene to student empathy, interpersonal skills, and clinical practice stress / 대한구강보건학회지

Objectives@#The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between dental hygiene students’ empathy, interpersonal skills, and clinical practice stress, and to improve the system and skills necessary in the clinical practice process so that individuals can adapt to and perform their duties as dental hygienists in the future. @*Methods@#From the date of approval until August 30, 2022, dental hygiene students who have experienced clinical practice were conveniently extracted. The sample size was was determined with G*power 3.1.9.7 program and 190 participants were included in the final analysis. Data analysis used the IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 program. @*Results@#Factors affecting clinical practice stress were found to be significantly related to empathic concern and personal distress, which are sub-factors of empathy, and the explanatory power was 19.7%. @*Conclusions@#Based on the above findings, in order to reduce dental hygiene students’ clinical practice stress and improve their interpersonal skills and empathy, it is necessary to provide a systematic program tailored to the student level, and further, to improve the quality of clinical practice education through industry-academia cooperation.

The Shorr Versus Modified Ultrafast Papanicolaou Method for Intraoperative Diagnosis of Peritoneal Washing Cytology in Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Phase II Study

Purpose@#According to the American Joint Committee on Cancer cancer staging system, positive peritoneal washing cytology (PWC) indicates stage IV gastric cancer. However, rapid intraoperative diagnosis of PWC has no established reliable method. This study evaluated and compared the diagnostic accuracy of the Shorr and the modified ultrafast Papanicolaou (MUFP) methods for intraoperative PWC. @*Materials and Methods@#This study included patients with gastric cancer who were clinically diagnosed with stage cT3 or higher. The Shorr and MUFP methods were performed on all PWC specimens, and the results were compared with those of conventional Papanicolaou (PAP) staining with carcinoembryonic antigen immunohistochemistry. Sensitivity, specificity, and partial likelihood tests were used to compare the 2 methods. @*Results@#Forty patients underwent intraoperative PWC between November 2019 and August 2021. The average time between specimen reception and slide preparation using Shorr and MUFP methods was 44.4±4.5 minutes, and the average time between specimen reception and pathologic diagnosis was 53.9±8.9 minutes. Eight patients (20.0%) had positive cytology in PAP staining. The Shorr method had a sensitivity of 75.0% and specificity of 93.8%; the MUFP method had 62.5% sensitivity and 100.0% specificity. The area under the curve was 0.844 for Shorr and 0.813 for MUFP. In comparing the C-indices of each method with overall survival, no difference was found among the Shorr, MUFP, and conventional PAP methods. @*Conclusions@#The Shorr and MUFP methods are acceptable for the intraoperative diagnosis of PWC in advanced gastric cancer.

Comparison of Laparoscopic and Open Gastrectomy for Patients With Gastric Cancer Treated With Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Multicenter Retrospective Study Based on the Korean Gastric Cancer Association Nationwide Survey

Purpose@#Despite scientific evidence regarding laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) for advanced gastric cancer treatment, its application in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy remains uncertain. @*Materials and Methods@#We used the 2019 Korean Gastric Cancer Association nationwide survey database to extract data from 489 patients with primary gastric cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After propensity score matching analysis, we compared the surgical outcomes of 97 patients who underwent LG and 97 patients who underwent open gastrectomy (OG). We investigated the risk factors for postoperative complications using multivariate analysis. @*Results@#The operative time was significantly shorter in the OG group. Patients in the LG group had significantly less blood loss than those in the OG group. Hospital stay and overall postoperative complications were similar between the two groups. The incidence of Clavien– Dindo grade ≥3 complications in the LG group was comparable with that in the OG group (1.03% vs. 4.12%, P=0.215). No statistically significant difference was observed in the number of harvested lymph nodes between the two groups (38.60 vs. 35.79, P=0.182). Multivariate analysis identified body mass index (odds ratio [OR], 1.824; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.029–3.234; P=0.040) and extent of resection (OR, 3.154; 95% CI, 1.084–9.174; P=0.035) as independent risk factors for overall postoperative complications. @*Conclusions@#Using a large nationwide multicenter survey database, we demonstrated that LG and OG had comparable short-term outcomes in patients with gastric cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Fatty Acid Binding Protein 5 (FABP5) Promotes Aggressiveness of Gastric Cancer Through Modulation of Tumor Immunity

Purpose@#Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most lethal cancer globally and is associated with poor prognosis. Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) can regulate biological properties of carcinoma cells. FABP5 is overexpressed in many types of cancers; however, the role and mechanisms of action of FABP5 in GC remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical and biological functions of FABP5 in GC. @*Materials and Methods@#We assessed FABP5 expression using immunohistochemical analysis in 79 patients with GC and evaluated its biological functions following in vitro and in vivo ectopic expression. FABP5 targets relevant to GC progression were determined using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). @*Results@#Elevated FABP5 expression was closely associated with poor outcomes, and ectopic expression of FABP5 promoted proliferation, invasion, migration, and carcinogenicity of GC cells, thus suggesting its potential tumor-promoting role in GC. Additionally, RNA-seq analysis indicated that FABP5 activates immune-related pathways, including cytokinecytokine receptor interaction pathways, interleukin-17 signaling, and tumor necrosis factor signaling, suggesting an important rationale for the possible development of therapies that combine FABP5-targeted drugs with immunotherapeutics. @*Conclusions@#These findings highlight the biological mechanisms and clinical implications of FABP5 in GC and suggest its potential as an adverse prognostic factor and/or therapeutic target.

Detailed resume of RNA m6A demethylases

N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant internal modification in eukaryotic mRNA, playing critical role in various bioprocesses. Like other epigenetic modifications, m6A modification can be catalyzed by the methyltransferase complex and erased dynamically to maintain cells homeostasis. Up to now, only two m6A demethylases have been reported, fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) and alkylation protein AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), involving in a wide range of mRNA biological progress, including mRNA shearing, export, metabolism and stability. Furthermore, they participate in many significantly biological signaling pathway, and contribute to the progress and development of cancer along with other diseases. In this review, we focus on the studies about structure, inhibitors development and biological function of FTO and ALKBH5.

Peduncular Hallucinosis 7 Months After Pontine Hemorrhage With Hypertrophic Olivary Degeneration:A Case Report

Peduncular hallucinosis is a rare type of hallucination, wherein patients see colorful and vivid images. It usually appears after damage to the midbrain, pons, or thalamus. We report the case of a 56-year-old man with peduncular hallucinosis after conservative care for spontaneous pontine hemorrhage, 7 months prior to presentation. He was treated with atypical antipsychotics, which resolved the symptoms. We suggest that it is important to consider peduncular hallucinosis in patients after injuries in subcortical areas and the brainstem. Additionally, we found changes in the hypertrophic olivary degeneration using magnetic resonance imaging, and we suggest the possibility of their correlation with peduncular hallucinosis.

Effect of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on children’s visits to the emergency department

Purpose@#In the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, it is essential to supplement the changes in visiting patterns of individual emergency departments (EDs) to determine how to allocate emergency medicine resources. We compared the clinical features of children visiting the ED before and during the pandemic. @*Methods@#Children younger than 18 years who visited the ED from February 2019 through December 2020, except January 2020, were enrolled, and divided into those who visited before and after January 2020 (the pre-pandemic and pandemic groups, respectively). We compared the 2 groups in terms of the baseline characteristics (age, sex, mode and route of arrival, cause of visit, and time of visit), chief complaint, ED diagnosis, initial acuity and its accuracy, and ED outcomes (length of stay and disposition). @*Results@#The 31,036 children were categorized into the pre-pandemic (21,027 [67.8%]) and pandemic (10,009 [32.2%]) groups with a 52.4% decrease in the number of visits to the ED in the latter group. This decrease was more prominent in age 2-5 years (from 37.3% to 33.2%; P < 0.001), fever as a chief complaint (from 27.8% to 16.5%), diagnoses related to infection or the respiratory system (from 36.8% to 14.3%) or transfer to the ED (from 8.1% to 6.4%; P < 0.001). In contrast, increases were noted in age 12-17 years (from 14.9% to 17.4%; P < 0.001), injury (from 36.5% to 52.5%; P < 0.001), visits in the evening (from 54.9% to 57.4%; P < 0.001), length of stay longer than 6 hours (from 3.5% to 6.3%; P = 0.033), and low acuity (from 97.8% to 98.2%; P = 0.031). @*Conclusion@#The pandemic has brought about changes in visiting patterns of the ED. This study may help prepare strategies for the appropriate allocation and deployment of emergency medicine resources in the pandemic era.

Critical Decision Making at the Point of Care / 대한내과학회지

Optimal decision-making requires an understanding of the principles of evidence-based medicine to judge the quality of the evidence. Numerous pitfalls exist in diagnostic reasoning and decision-making. There are also many considerations with regard to evidence-based prescription. Increasingly, hospitalists have to work in wards organized as Accountable Care Units (ACUs). Practice guidelines and systematic reviews represent the highest quality of evidence available. There is great clinical importance in rapid access to precise answers, especially those based on summary literatures, to various challenging questions. In practice, a culture of education, updates to support hospitalists, and integration of evidence-based medicine into clinical practice, using diverse digital medical resources and cloud storage, are necessary.